Hunter Numbers Down?
Colorado
On virtually most popular hunting media platforms/forums etc... I continue to see statistics indicating hunter numbers are down. Yet in the last 5 years especially, I run into more and more hunters in deep places and the trail heads seem more crowded than ever. It also appears tag applications are up in CO at least (likely attributed at least partially to CPW not requiring funds up front any longer).
I'm not complaining at all, I am glad our public lands are being utilized and people are enjoying themselves.
I just wanted to know what other's experiences have been?
I think you see more back country hunters due to the increased road side pressure, and due to [affordable] technology advances making those trips more comfortable and easier to navigate. I also think the higher frequency of people increasing their game encounters in the back country persuades the fence riders to take the leap.
I wonder when CO reached their tipping point? Surly there was a time when pressure was low and harvest was higher, but I could be wrong.
As for hunter numbers.. same as your observation, but in NM, IN, and OH.
The only people saying we need better hunter recruitment are the ones trying to sell you something to hunt with or for.
Ain’t that the truth, Joe. I made this and posted it on the main sheep forum under the CO draw thread. I’ve said this for years, if hunting is such a dying sport, why does Cabela’s keep building more stores?
I think there’s more hunters than ever before. It’s insane
They must be talking about the overall percentage of people who hunt. I run into more and more competition every year, and they certainly aren't as polite or considerate as they used to be.
As a percentage of the total US population, the number of hunters is surely down and most likely continue to decrease as a percentage.
But in States like Colorado where there are OTC archery license for elk, the number of bow hunters has increased. As example, when I first hunted elk in Colorado in 1988 and 1989, there were 18,600 bow hunters. Today that number has increased to 46,000 bow hunters after elk during the 30 day season. I would expect 20,000 and more are non residents.
I agree, at least here, more hunters are learning to "get back in and stay back in" with more ease than before. And with social media, bowsite.com, etc, etc, the challenge for the adventure as increased and stimulated many hunters to "go west young man, go west"."
I am sure the harvest percentage was lower in the early years as the vast majority of bow hunters were using recurve/long bow, but the harvest percentage has not changed much even though the number of bow hunters has increased and most of those hunters are using compound bow; still around 15%.
Not sure where the "breaking point might be", ie limited draw statewide for bow hunters, hunting elk.
I think Paul is spot on, if you only look at hunter numbers as percentage of the overall population, numbers are down. Problem is our population keeps growing, I tend to think of number of hunters much like wildlife biologists view carrying capacity, the landscape can only hold so many... and there seems to be a chit-ton wherever I go.
Nationwide, overall hunter numbers are decreasing. That's the number of individual hunters, as well as percentage of the overall population. That's documented fact from the NSSF and USFWS annual surveys, state-by-state. They will continue to drop as Boomers age and drop out. There is no corresponding recruitment increase to replace the aging boomer bubble.
The big difference is that hunters today hunt more states, more species, and have the technology and disposable income to do so. The average hunter is now right around 51-52 years old. That's peak earning age, so more money to spend, probably more vacation time too.
Plus, with social media and other platforms it's easier than ever to find good places to hunt in new areas, and where OTC tags are available it's cheaper and easier than ever before (adjusted for the wage index and inflation) to hunt the west. Where it used to be mysterious and intimidating to learn how and where to hunt, now you simply subscribe to a service like Peterson's or Huntin' Fool, ask the Google, or spend time on hunting forums.
Good places to hunt elk arent everywhere in National Forests. Elk frequent the same spots year after year, and there are 'elky' looking places that are barren of elk.
Like Lou mentioned, the good places to hunt elk are being discovered and discussed openly, hence the 'crowded' feeling.
Bowhunter numbers here have increased a lot. Throw in some rifle bear hunters, more muzzleloaders, early cow rifle hunters, more day hikers, ATVers and backpackers and we end up feeling crowded.
I think we should encourage more hunting. I also think all hunters should be required to own a GPS that shows my current locations and any location I am planning on hunting during the season. It would be against the law for anyone to hunt within 2 miles of my location or any location I may decide to hunt during the season. However if I send out a signal that I have killed something and need Sherpas anyone with any type of hunting license within 100 mile radius would be required to show up with Kifaru meat pack to pack out my kill.
I liken yalls claims of hunter numbers decreasing to global warming. Similar argument despite what is being seen in the field. Really hard to say hunting is dying when in my state hunter numbers have doubled since 2000 and population is nearly the same. Tell all the big 3 hunters in Colorado this hunting is dying crap. A certain kind of hunting has died but the new age has brought a wave of a new kinda hunter.
Swampokie, please post the link to ANY statistical analysis showing hunter numbers are increasing nationwide? Please? Because nobody else in the hunting industry knows about it. The CPW bean counters even discussed it in the last Sportsman's Roundtable I attended, as have all the other state bean counters I've interviewed for articles and seminars. They know it is happening, and are trying to figure out how to maintain revenue in 10 years when numbers start to crash. This is simple math - each state reports the number of unique license buyers. Not total licenses sold, not people hunting multiple states, but unique license buyers. The numbers have been flat, now decreasing slightly, for the past 20 years.
What you see in your tiny part of the world isn't reflective of what is happening nationwide. Just as Colorado's near-tripling of bowhunters doesn't mean the number of hunters overall has tripled.
I cant post hunter numbers on Colorado but I'm fairly certain that the number of out of state hunters more than offsets the slight loss of resident license holders you have experienced. I would surely hate to hunt a Colorado otc unit when theres an increase of license holders!
How funny is this! I just found an article in the Edmunds Sun about how hunter numbers are declining in Oklahoma and the Game and Fish people are struggling to figure out what to do. Hmmmm..
Hunter numbers increasing in OK? Apparently not. The beauty of social media and forums like this is that there is no built-inn fact-checking mechanism so people can post whatever B.S. they want.
Lou that is an 11 year old article.
Funny it said only 129000 deer licenses were sold but 200000 deer hunters would participate for the gun deer opener. This was 2007 and its a newspaper in the most liberal city in Oklahoma .
John, that was my point. The article was 11 years old yet someone posted that "hunter numbers have doubled". Numbers have dropped since then - not dramatically but measurably.
Lou -I am not saying hunter numbers are increasing or decreasing - I don't know. But both your points of reference are from 2009 and 2007. I would like to see more current data. I could probably find if was more motivated or had more time to slack off at work :) I suspect it seems like a increase because, percentage of hunters now bow hunting has increase, more private land is under lease/not accessible, and land once huntable has been developed.
Even if as your chart suggest the percentage of population that hunt has decreased, there could still be more people hunting because of an over all increase in total population. 20% hunt of 1.5 million people is 300k vs. 25% hunt of 1 million people is 250K
Shoot me your email and I'll send you the extensive NSSF study done either last year or year before last. I have lots of documentation. Bowhunters as a percentage of overall hunters are increasing, but mostly because they can hunt with both in most states and it's not difficult to become proficient with modern compounds and crossbows. But a guy who buys an archery license and rifle license for deer in his own state, for instance, then hunts two other states with bow, does not equate to "four" unique hunters.
Less casual, more "hard-core" hunters nowadays. Before people just mostly hunted what was near them because they were pretty ignorant to other opportunities. Now with the internet, people see what they have been missing out on. Also, with google earth, and gps mapping, people can go places they wouldn't have dared to before. Also, people drive all over now as vehicles are much more comfortable, efficient etc. where as driving back in the day was a pain, now it is a few pod casts away while hitting the drive thrus.
I would have never thought about hunting bear. Then I found this thing called bowsite years ago and kept reading and seeing pics of all these people shooting bears....now, it is my favorite species to hunt, well, grouse is up there too. Had it not been for the internet, I would still be just whitetail deer hunting locally and never knowing the difference.
Here in Ohio total archery harvest surpassed gun harvest numbers, because the allowed crossbows into the archery season years ago. Gun hunters flooded the woods, and over a couple generations, they’ve passed hunting with a crossbow down to their children, and so on, instead of using archery tackle. Also, the amount of info out there available today for hunting elk is immense. It’s just become popular, and somewhat affordable for the DIY hunter, but really, the success rates haven’t gotten that much better. The Western woods, and Eastern are definitely more crowded, you have to figure ways to separate yourself from the pack.
Have considered blunts to the back of the heads of jackasses in some of my hunting areas more than once, but it’s just not PC.
I think it's the rise in archery hunters that skews my perception. I'm starting to believing there a some truth to it...
The fact of the matter is, if we want our sport/passion/teaditions to be around for our kids and grandkids, we need to get involved, educate and pass on knowledge.. hunting and outdoorsmanship was much more apart of culture years ago even for city folks but sadly, things have changed... For anything to remain a tradition, it needs to be passed down.. but to answer the original question, the data says numbers are down, as for what I experience in Colorado, it depends on the unit.. I think we see more hunters in OTC units in Colorado simply because the opportunity is offered so if guys don't get drawn somewhere Colorado can be a fall back even for rifle season..
('Typing at the same time as Coyo) Put simply, the overall number of hunters is dropping nationwide. The number of hunters in Colorado, however, is on the rise. Go figure - where else in the lower 48 is there an abundance of public land, with unlimited OTC license availability? Anyone, from anywhere, can hunt elk here (somewhere), anytime during the regular archery season. No need to hope for a draw in one of the other states - 'makes the planning part a bit easier.
% success may not be changing but a lot more elk have to be getting killed? Idk im new to elk, just a few seasons under my belt but the same % but with a lot more elk hunters in a state has to mean a lot more elk killed? Anyone noticing an actual decrease in the heard? Documented decrease?
Documented. Especially in areas with extra cow tags. They're getting down to objective in many areas so those extra cow licenses may become less available.
Thank you everybody for your responses so far, and thank you to those who linked the studies.
It's apparent hunter numbers are dwindling in the grand scope, I think it's on us experienced hunters to nurture new hunters and bring them into the sport.
Many of us (myself included) are fairly secretive about our hunting habits because we've become successful through dedicating a significant amount of resources (time, money, sweat equity etc...) into becoming good hunters.
Other than donating to conservation organizations, I plan on inviting a newbie (who I already get along with) every year to an OTC hunt until one sticks. I know hunting buddies are hard to come by, but it's the only other tangible thing I can think of to preserve our passion.
I am certainly open to other ideas though.
